


Nail Polish

by mattie_147



Category: Doctor Who
Genre: Gen, Thoschei, best enemies, this is very innocent so I put it into Gen category...
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-07-13
Updated: 2017-07-13
Packaged: 2018-12-01 17:31:21
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,746
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11491224
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/mattie_147/pseuds/mattie_147
Summary: Just a little fun thing I wrote about the Doctor, The Master and a bottle of black nail polish.From the Academy to the present day, the Master has always been extra.





	Nail Polish

-...if you flip to section 13 point 4 of your books, you will find another, more detailed explanation of this theorem. Pay attention to calculations for secondary elements, especially combinatorial topological spaces. - The Professor lifted his tired eyes from the holographic lightboard and peered into the lecture hall. Four thousand years of teaching the same course, again and again, and barely any satisfaction. - Do you have any questions?

Evidently, the students didn't have questions. Most of them didn't even care about the subject at all, and certainly not this early in the morning. A few young Time Lords were dozing off at the top row of seats, not having slept for a week or so. Some were chatting telepathically, mouths covered to conceal giggles. Two or three were scribbling in High Gallifreyan, trying to finish homework that was already late. Barely anyone even knew what the Professor was talking about.

In the center of the hall, right next to an ancient column, sat two students who irritated the Professor the most – Theta Sigma and Koschei, as they called themselves. The first one was pale and skinny, with forever messy fair hair and a smile that stole many hearts. The second had the bluest blue eyes you have ever seen, and a bit patchy goatee beard. Instead of making notes, Theta was currently painting Koschei's nails with a black nail polish. He was nearly finished with his right hand, and was about to start on the left.

One of the girls on the left side of the hall was watching them with a smile on her face.  
-Ushas? - She called, turning to her right.  
-What? - Ushas was one of the few students who actually wanted to study, so she didn't appreciate the interruptions.  
-Is Theta and Kosch... you know... a thing?  
Ushas smirked. - He wishes. - She replied, pointing at Theta.  
-Does that mean I have a chance with him?  
-Probably. I mean, he has already hooked up with half the students his age, so...  
The other girl looked surprised.  
-Compensating. - Ushas shrugged. 

At that point most of the people in the hall were staring at Koschei and Theta, amazed by their level of insolence. Rebellion was pretty much removed out of Time Lord genetic code a long time ago. Therefore breaking the rules like that was really rare, and, as a consequence, really cool. Unfortunately, students weren't the only ones who noticed the little rebellion.

-Am I interrupting you, by any chance? - He said, looking at the two friends with disapproval.

-No-no, it's fine. - Theta replied, now applying nail polish to Koschei's left pinky finger. - Carry on.

The hall roared with laughter.

-Perhaps you know how to prove this theorem then? - Professor asked, raising his eyebrows.

-I do, actually. - Koschei said, his voice calm and dry.

The Professor let out a single high-pitched laugh, bewildered by such a preposterous and arrogant claim. - Ridiculous! I've been a math teacher my entire life, and I can assure you, young man, that you don't. Dozens of Time Lords and Time Ladies have tried for thousands of years, scholars much wiser than you or me, and all have failed.

-But I can prove it. - Koschei insisted, carefully removing his hand from Theta's grasp. - Did that when I was seventy four.

-Well, why don't you show us then? - The Professor suggested, sitting down at his desk.

-No problem. - Koschei got up and walked down the steps, his oversized robes dragging on the floor behind him.

He approached the lightboard and glanced at his hands. Realizing that he can't use his right hand, he placed it behind his back and started writing with elegant movements of his left index finger. While he was writing, he mumbled something under his breath. Only five minutes later he placed a final symbol on the lightboard and stepped back, admiring his work.

-That's roughly it. - He said, returning to his desk, and taking the nail polish from the table to finish the work himself. - Go figure.

The Professor was reading the calculations frantically, eyes wide in bewilderment. On the left of the hall Ushas scratched her chin, rather impressed. She turned to the girl who was sitting next to her.

-Looks like he did prove it. - She said. - Damn.

-Impossible! - The Professor declared. - This is too simple, too obvious. Someone would have thought of it ages ago!

-But it does prove it. - Koschei told him. - Perhaps the wise scholars weren't that wise after all.

The Professor was still in denial. -Class dismissed! - He announced, and everyone jumped up from their seats.

-Thanks, mate! - Mortimus and Drax both saluted Koschei as they were leaving the room.  
Magnus even snapped a photo of the poor Professor, his world shattered to pieces by one small equation.

-Do you want to get some food? - Theta Sigma asked, once they entered the lengthy corridor outside the hall.  
-Might as well. - Koschei replied, and followed his best friend.

***

Koschei was sitting in a small, round room which must have belonged to a professor of the Academy. It was full of ancient books, obscure pieces of tech and relics of the past. He sat in a comfy armchair, feet up on the table, reading one of the old texts someone left unsupervised. It wasn't very entertaining. 

At last the front door has opened, and a Time Lady stepped inside. She didn't look a day older Koschei, despite having lived a very long life and now being at her last regeneration. 

-This is absurd. - Koschei proclaimed, not even looking up from the text. - You can't punish me for proving a theorem!

-Who said anything about punishment? - The Time Lady smiled, coming closer to the table.

He finally put the text down to see her for the first time, and realizing who she was immediately removed his feet from the table.

-Lady Cardinal. - He said, more than a little bit surprised. 

-Indeed. - She nodded. - However I am not here as the Cardinal of the Prydonian Chapter, but rather as a scholar of math – one of those you called not so wise after all.

Koschei wasn't intimidated by her in the slightest. - It's a simple solution.

-It is. - She agreed. - And an elegant one too. It takes skill, and knowledge, and also imagination to come up with something like that. All the things I look for in my students. You could be one of them soon: work with advanced material, things you can't find in your textbooks. What do you think, Lord of Oakdown?

-Oh please, Lord of Oakdown is my father. And my grandfather. And all of my cousins. Call me Koschei.

-Koschei. - Lady Cardinal repeated. - Academy nicknames weren't so exotic in my time as a student. What does it mean?

-It's from an Earth fairytale. - He explained. - It is a name of a magical being. Powerful, intelligent and immortal. All the things I strive to be.

-Oh yes, I know your friend, Lord of Lungbarrow, is obsessed with Earth cultures.

-Obsessed is a strong word. - Koschei said. - Theta is curious, that's all. Curious beyond my understanding. That alien cultures course we took was the definition of boring, and he still enjoyed.

-Couldn't have been that boring, if you learned something from it. - She put her hand in her pocket and took out a tiny bottle of nail polish she picked up in the lecture hall. - Yours, I presume?

Koschei took the bottle from her hand and hid it in his bag, leaving her remark unanswered.

-I won't keep you here any longer. - Lady Cardinal said. - You are free to go now. Think about my offer.

-Sure. - He told her, getting up. - And if I decide to join you, maybe you would consider giving some extra credit to 'Lord of Lungbarrow'? - He asked.

Lady Cardinal chuckled. - What did he do to deserve it?

-He inspires me. - Koschei smiled, closing the door behind him.

This time, he was only partially joking.

***

Missy heard the Doctor walking even before he started messing with the Vault's opening mechanism. He had a heavy step that echoed across the universities corridors and inevitably gave away his location. As he was unlocking the door, she made an attempt to un-mess her hair, but it didn't work. So instead she leaned back in her chair and pretended to not be bothered by it.

-Good evening. - The Doctor greeted her. - Or is it good night already? I can't tell.

-You're just in time for Game of Thrones. - Missy told him.

-What's that?

-A TV-show I watch. - She said. - There's a lot of sex and drama and decapitations. 

-Sounds like your thing.

-Well, we can't watch Disney all the time, can we?

They both paused for a moment, and then a smile appeared on the Doctor's face, for seemingly no reason.

-I nearly forgot. - He said, and took something out of his pocket. 

He placed the object on the table in front of Missy.

-It's black nail polish. - She looked at him, waiting for an explanation.

-Do you remember it?

Missy thought for a few moments.

-Is it..?  
-Yes.

-No.

-Yes it is! - The Doctor was beaming.

-How could you possibly preserve it? - Missy scoffed. - It's been hundreds of years ago!

-I am sentimental. - The Doctor shrugged. - Took it with me when I was leaving Gallifrey with Susan. Wanted to have something that reminded me of you.

She wasn't sure how to react to that.

-Did you enjoy Lady Cardinal's advanced math class? - He asked.

-Not more than the look on our math professor's face when I proved that theorem.

They both laughed, remembering that little moment of triumph. Then, without a word, the Doctor opened the nail polish bottle and gently took Missy's hand.

-You will never forgive me. - The words escaped her mouth before she had a chance to think about it. - I know you want me to be good and maybe, somehow, you will actually believe that yourself, but you will never forgive me.

-Doesn't matter. - The Doctor replied. - I haven't forgiven myself either, not even for the things I technically didn't do. - He sighed, and briefly looked her in the eyes. - One day, a long time ago, I had to come to terms with the fact that we are not, in fact, that different.

She smiled with a corner of her mouth and decided not to reply.  
That night the darkness resided only in the latest episode of Game of Thrones and in the intense color of her favorite nail polish.


End file.
